Southwest Fire Science Consortium

The Structure of Fire Size Distributions: A Broad View of Interacting Gradients in Wilderness Management, Spatial Climate, and Topography in Three Western Regions – May 2013

admin — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:32:32 +0000

The structure of fire size distributions: a broad view of interacting gradients in wilderness management, spatial climate, and topography in three western regions – May 2013[/toggle_title]

Presenter: Sandra Haire, Haire Laboratory for Landscape Ecology
Determining the effects of land management on fire regime characteristics is complicated by the interaction of several factors that vary in space and time. First, fire size and frequency are linked to climate conditions, including drought, as well as wind and temperature that define weather conditions during burning. Second, topography and fuels influence ignition locations, fire spread, and behavior which play a role in determining fire frequency and size of individual fire events. Last, and importantly, comprehensive records that quantify where and when various management practices including fire suppression and other strategies occurred are not available at regional scales. Given these challenges, we designed our study to examine the scaling of fire size distributions from 1984-2007 along a “wilderness gradient” in three regions: the Southwest, Northern Rockies, and Sierra Nevada. We constructed the gradient to reflect our expectation that fire size distributions in wilderness interiors, or core areas, had the greatest likelihood of being influenced by natural burning practices. Our expectation was met in one region, but not in the other two. The importance of large fires in structuring fire size distributions decreased in wilderness interiors of the Southwest, but the opposite trend was observed in the other two regions. In both the Sierra Nevada and the Southwest, several variables limited the role of large fires across the wilderness gradient. In contrast, topographic and climate/fuel variables worked in concert to increase the importance of large fires in the Northern Rockies. The unique climatic, topographic, and ecosystem characteristics of each region provided a useful context for understanding the dynamics of fire size distributions and important differences among geographic regions. In this webinar, I present our findings with the goal of painting a picture of the multiple, interacting influences which shape fire size distributions within and around western wilderness. Watch recording here!

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Impacts of fire hazard assessment and fuel reduction priorities on mega-fire outcomes: A hypothetical test using the Wallow Fire in Arizona – April 2013

admin — Mon, 06 May 2013 17:32:39 +0000

Presenter: Amy Waltz, Program Director of Science Delivery, Ecological Restoration Institute
Uncharacteristically large and severe wildfires, or mega-fires, are occurring with increasing frequency over the last decades in the western United States. The 2011 Wallow Fire, a 538,049-acre (217,740-hectare) fire in the conifer forests of eastern Arizona, provided the opportunity to compare the effectiveness of different hypothetical treatment scenarios at reducing fire effects. To evaluate how treatment scenarios based on different values at risk influence landscape-level fire effects, we used FlamMap to model fire behavior under the following priority scenarios: 1) 2010 pre-fire conditions; 2) a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) priority (based on national priorities) where stands with high fire risk (Fire Program Analysis data) within WUI boundaries were “treated” to produce lower canopy cover and crown bulk density and fire models more indicative of open-canopied conifer forests; 3) a “Restoration Opportunity” priority, where forests stands in frequent-fire systems that exhibited closed canopy and high tree densities occurring across the landscape were treated as above; and 4) a scenario that represented a blend of 2 and 3. Key findings included: 1) Fuel reduction treatments were effective at reducing fire behavior and reducing risk to prioritized values like communities. 2) WUI-only treatments resulted in large, contiguous areas with unchanged crowning potential across the pre-treatment landscape. Continuous fuels in uncharacteristically high loadings continued to support active and passive crowning in 20,000 – 40,000-acre (~8,000 – ~16,000 hectare) blocks with potential losses to ecological integrity in forests adapted to more frequent fire conditions. 3) Fuel reduction treatments simulated at broader scales had bigger impacts on overall reduction of crown fire within the Wallow Fire perimeter. The continued investment of the majority of treatments in the WUI does provide protection for communities; however, our results suggest this strategy alone will not solve continuing ecological degradation from uncharacteristically severe fire on the greater landscape. Watch recording here!

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White/Donaldson Fires Field Trip – April 2013

admin — Sun, 05 May 2013 20:37:10 +0000

This was a 1 day field trip to both the White and Donaldson Fires near Ruidoso, New Mexico. Both Fires burned in 2011 with very different effects. We visited unburned and burned areas that received mastication and other fuels treatments, discussed treatments and how they may have affected fire behavior, fire effects, watershed and wildlife. More research on mastication is need and an upcoming project (NMWFRI and USFS Region 3) may help fill some of these knowledge gaps eventually. The SWFSC will report on this as available.

White Fire burn severity map (RAVG)
White Fire Fuels Assessment (from Lincoln NF)
Donaldson Fire IR map
Donaldson Fire – treatment acres within Lincoln NF boundary

The post White/Donaldson Fires Field Trip – April 2013 appeared first on Southwest Fire Science Consortium.

The Fire Season Outlook for 2013 and How It’s Built – March 2013

admin — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:26:44 +0000

Presenter: Chuck Maxwell, Fire Meteorologist, Southwest Coordination Center, Predictive Services

Chuck Maxwell will discuss how Predictive Services develops seasonal fire potential predictions and what the outlook is this year for the Southwest. Join this webinar to get an inside view of the data and methods that go into fire season predictions, and equally important where the greatest uncertainty is. The webinar will also walk through the outlook for this year’s fire season and include time for questions and answers. Watch recording here!

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Implementing the Mexican spotted owl revised recovery plan: Conducting fire management in owl habitat

admin — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:08:21 +0000

Presenters: Bill Block (USFS RMRS) and Shaula Hedwall (USFWS)

The Mexican Spotted Owl Recovery Plan, First Revision, was released on December 17, 2012. The Recovery Team used the best available science to delineate actions we think are required to recover and protect the owl. This Recovery Plan presents realistic and attainable goals for recovering the owl, involving forest habitat management and vigilant monitoring. The goals are flexible in that they allow local land managers to make site-specific decisions. To accomplish the recovery of the Mexican spotted owl, the recovery strategy has five key elements designed to conserve the subspecies throughout its range: 1) protect existing populations; 2) manage for habitat into the future; 3) manage threats; 4) monitor populations and habitats; and, 5) build partnerships to facilitate recovery. The webinar presentation will briefly summarize all of the components of the plan, but focus on recovery recommendations dealing with fire and fire management. Listen to a recording of this webinar here now!

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Webinar- Temperature as a driver of regional forest drought stress and tree mortality

admin — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:24:55 +0000

Presenter: Park Williams, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Dr. Williams will discuss his recent work to derive a forest drought-stress index (FDSI) for the southwestern United States using a comprehensive tree-ring data set representing AD 1000–2007. This FDSI is linked to measures of forest productivity, mortality, bark-beetle outbreak and wildfire. If climate models are accurate, the mean forest drought-stress by the 2050s will exceed that of the most severe droughts in the past 1,000 years. Collectively, the results foreshadow twenty-first-century changes in forest structures and compositions, with transition of forests in the southwestern United States, and perhaps water-limited forests globally, towards distributions unfamiliar to modern civilization. See related publication here. Listen to a recording of this webinar here!

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Webinar- Synthesis of Knowledge of Extreme Fire Behavior for Fire Managers – December 2012

admin — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 18:30:00 +0000

Presenter: Paul Werth
Extreme fire behavior indicates a level of fire behavior characteristics that ordinarily precludes methods of direct control action. One or more of the following is usually involved: high rate of spread, prolific crowning/spotting, presence of fire whirls, and strong convection column. This webinar will summarize the recent JFSP publication that connects the weather, fuel, and topographic factors that contribute to development of extreme fire behavior. See related publication here. Listen to a recording of this webinar here!

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New Mexico Rx Fire Council/NMICG Meeting & Field Trip – November 2012

admin — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 18:39:04 +0000

We hosted a one day joint meeting and field trip for the New Mexico Prescribed Fire Council and the New Mexico Interagency Coordinating Group to help bridge the role of the two groups and create an opportunity for sharing of information and building contacts.

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Webinar- Wildland Fire in Ecosystems: Effects of Fire on Cultural Resources & Archaeology – November 2012

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 22:21:52 +0000

Presenter: Kevin Ryan
This webinar provided an introduction to the new edition of the Rainbow series that provides fire and land management professionals and policy makers with a greater understanding of the value of cultural resource protection and the methods available to evaluate and mitigate risks to cultural resources. Webinar recording available here!

The post Webinar- Wildland Fire in Ecosystems: Effects of Fire on Cultural Resources & Archaeology – November 2012 appeared first on Southwest Fire Science Consortium.

Horseshoe 2 Fire Field Trip – November 8-9, 2012

admin — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 22:27:16 +0000

Horseshoe 2 Fire Field Trip – Wilcox, Arizona (November 8-9, 2012)

Topics covered on the field trip will include landscape scale fire management, fire effects, operations, impacts onwildlife, post-fire rehabilitation efforts, and treatment effectivenss. Day one will cover the north end of the fire area while Day Two will cover the west and south side of the fire area. You may attend one or both days of the field trip.

Field trip materials coming soon!

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